Method for self aligning a lapping guide with a structure of a magnetic write head

ABSTRACT

A method for self aligning a lapping guide with a structure of a write pole. A write pole is formed over a substrate and an electrically conductive material lapping guide material is deposited in a location that is removed from the write pole. A mask is then formed over a portion of the write pole and a portion of the electrically conductive material. A material removal process such as reactive ion etching can then be performed to remove a portion of the magnetic material that is not protected by the mask structure. An magnetic material is then electroplated over the write pole with the write pole, with the mask still in place. In this way, the electroplated material has an edge that is self aligned with an edge of the electrically conductive lapping guide material, both being defined by the same mask structure.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention is a divisional application of commonly assignedU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/683,972, entitled PERPENDICULARWRITE HEAD HAVING A STEPPED FLARE STRUCTURE AND NON-MAGNETIC SPACERLAYER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF, which was filed on Mar. 8,2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the construction of perpendicularmagnetic write heads and more particularly to the use of an opticallapping guide for accurately defining the write pole flare point of aperpendicular magnetic write head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The heart of a computer's long term memory is an assembly that isreferred to as a magnetic disk drive. The magnetic disk drive includes arotating magnetic disk, write and read heads that are suspended by asuspension arm adjacent to a surface of the rotating magnetic disk andan actuator that swings the suspension arm to place the read and writeheads over selected circular tracks on the rotating disk. The read andwrite heads are directly located on a slider that has an air bearingsurface (ABS). The suspension arm biases the slider toward the surfaceof the disk, and when the disk rotates, air adjacent to the disk movesalong with the surface of the disk. The slider flies over the surface ofthe disk on a cushion of this moving air. When the slider rides on theair bearing, the write and read heads are employed for writing magnetictransitions to and reading magnetic transitions from the rotating disk.The read and write heads are connected to processing circuitry thatoperates according to a computer program to implement the writing andreading functions.

The write head traditionally has included a coil layer embedded in oneor more insulation layers (insulation stack), the insulation stack beingsandwiched between first and second pole piece layers. A gap is formedbetween the first and second pole piece layers by a gap layer at an airbearing surface (ABS) of the write head and the pole piece layers areconnected at a back gap. Current conducted to the coil layer induces amagnetic flux in the pole pieces which causes a magnetic field to fringeout at a write gap at the ABS for the purpose of writing theaforementioned magnetic transitions in tracks on the moving media, suchas in circular tracks on the aforementioned rotating disk.

In current read head designs a spin valve sensor, also referred to as agiant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor, is employed for sensing magneticfields from the rotating magnetic disk. The sensor includes anonmagnetic conductive layer, hereinafter referred to as a spacer layer,sandwiched between first and second ferromagnetic layers, referred to asa pinned layer and a free layer. First and second leads are connected tothe spin valve sensor for conducting a sense current therethrough. Themagnetization of the pinned layer is pinned perpendicular to the airbearing surface (ABS) and the magnetic moment of the free layer islocated parallel to the ABS, but free to rotate in response to externalmagnetic fields. The magnetization of the pinned layer is typicallypinned by exchange coupling with an antiferromagnetic layer. Thethickness of the spacer layer is chosen to be less than the mean freepath of conduction electrons through the sensor. With this arrangement,a portion of the conduction electrons is scattered by the interfaces ofthe spacer layer with each of the pinned and free layers.

When the magnetizations of the pinned and free layers are parallel withrespect to one another, scattering is minimal and when themagnetizations of the pinned and free layer are antiparallel, scatteringis maximized. Changes in scattering alter the resistance of the spinvalve sensor in proportion to cos θ, where θ is the angle between themagnetizations of the pinned and free layers. In a read mode theresistance of the spin valve sensor changes proportionally to themagnitudes of the magnetic fields from the rotating disk. When a sensecurrent is conducted through the spin valve sensor, resistance changescause potential changes that are detected and processed as playbacksignals.

Recently, researchers have focused on the development of perpendicularmagnetic recording systems in order to increase the data density of arecording system. Such perpendicular recording systems record magneticbits of data in a direction that is generally perpendicular to thesurface of the magnetic medium. A write head used in such a systemgenerally includes a write pole having a relatively small cross sectionat the air bearing surface (ABS) and a return pole having a larger crosssection at the ABS. A magnetic write coil induces a magnetic flux to beemitted from the write pole in a direction generally perpendicular tothe plane of the magnetic medium. This flux returns to the write head atthe return pole where it is sufficiently spread out and weak that itdoes not erase the signal written by the write pole.

The write pole typically has a flare point that is recessed a desireddistance from the ABS. This flare point distance is a critical dimensionthat must be carefully controlled. The write head may also include atrailing magnetic shield that can be used to increase the field gradientand increase the write speed. The trailing shield has a thickness asmeasured from the ABS that defines a throat height of the trailingshield. The throat height of the trailing shield is another criticaldimension that also must be carefully controlled.

However, as the size of magnetic heads decreases, variations incurrently available tooling and photolithography processes make itimpossible to control the flare point and trailing shield throat heightwith sufficient accuracy. Therefore, the inability to accurately controlthe flare point and trailing shield throat height is limiting theability to further shrink write head sizes, and is therefore limitingany increase in data capacity.

Therefore, there is a strong felt need for a structure or process thatcan very accurately define and control the flare point of a write headand the throat height of a magnetic shield in a magnetic write head.Such a structure or process must also be manufacturable using currentlyavailable tooling and processes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for aligning a structure with alapping guide. The method includes first providing a substrate, and thendepositing an electrically conductive material over a first portion ofthe substrate. A mask structure is formed, having an edge located in thefirst portion of the substrate and over the electrically conductivematerial and an edge located in a second portion of the substrate wherea structure is to be formed. A material removal process is performed toremove portions of the electrically conductive material not covered bythe mask, and electroplating a material over the second portion of thesubstrate.

This process allows an edge of the electrically conductive material(which can form the lapping guide) to be self aligned with theelectroplated material, both the electrically conductive lapping guidematerial and the electroplated material having an edge that is definedby the same masking step. This, therefore, allows both of these featuresto be defined in a single photolithographic masking step, eliminatingthe need to align multiple masks.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will beapparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferredembodiments taken in conjunction with the Figures in which likereference numerals indicate like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of thisinvention, as well as the preferred mode of use, reference should bemade to the following detailed description read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which are not to scale.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a disk drive system in which theinvention might be embodied;

FIG. 2; is an ABS view of a slider, taken from line 2-2 of FIG. 3,illustrating the location of a magnetic head thereon;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a magnetic head taken from line 3-3of FIG. 2, enlarged, and rotated 90 degrees counterclockwiseillustrating an embodiment of the invention incorporated into aperpendicular magnetic write head;

FIG. 4 is an ABS view taken from line 4-4 of FIG. 3 of a write head;

FIG. 5 is a top down view taken from line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6-14 show a write head in various intermediate stages ofmanufacture illustrating a method of manufacturing a write head;

FIG. 15 is a side cross sectional view of a magnetic head according toan alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16A is an ABS view taken from line 16A-16A of FIG. 15;

FIG. 16B is a cross sectional view taken from line 16B-16B of FIG. 15;

FIGS. 17-30 are views of a write head in various intermediate stages ofmanufacture illustrating a method of manufacturing a magnetic write headaccording to an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 31 is a side, cross-sectional view of a magnetic head according toyet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view taken from line 32-32 of FIG. 31;

FIGS. 33-37 are views of a magnetic head in various intermediate stagesof manufacture illustrating a method of manufacturing a magnetic head;

FIG. 38-42 are views of a magnetic head in various intermediate stagesof manufacture illustrating a method of manufacturing a magnetic headaccording to an alternate embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 43-48 are top down views illustrating a method of forming a selfaligned electrical lapping guide for accurately defining an air bearingsurface (ABS) of magnetic write head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description is of the best embodiments presentlycontemplated for carrying out this invention. This description is madefor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of this inventionand is not meant to limit the inventive concepts claimed herein.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a disk drive 100 embodying thisinvention. As shown in FIG. 1, at least one rotatable magnetic disk 112is supported on a spindle 114 and rotated by a disk drive motor 118. Themagnetic recording on each disk is in the form of annular patterns ofconcentric data tracks (not shown) on the magnetic disk 112.

At least one slider 113 is positioned near the magnetic disk 112, eachslider 113 supporting one or more magnetic head assemblies 121. As themagnetic disk rotates, slider 113 moves radially in and out over thedisk surface 122 so that the magnetic head assembly 121 may accessdifferent tracks of the magnetic disk where desired data are written.Each slider 113 is attached to an actuator arm 119 by way of asuspension 115. The suspension 115 provides a slight spring force whichbiases slider 113 against the disk surface 122. Each actuator arm 119 isattached to an actuator means 127. The actuator means 127 as shown inFIG. 1 may be a voice coil motor (VCM). The VCM comprises a coil movablewithin a fixed magnetic field, the direction and speed of the coilmovements being controlled by the motor current signals supplied bycontroller 129.

During operation of the disk storage system, the rotation of themagnetic disk 112 generates an air bearing between the slider 113 andthe disk surface 122 which exerts an upward force or lift on the slider.The air bearing thus counter-balances the slight spring force ofsuspension 115 and supports the slider 113 off and slightly above thedisk surface by a small, substantially constant spacing during normaloperation.

The various components of the disk storage system are controlled inoperation by control signals generated by control unit 129, such asaccess control signals and internal clock signals. Typically, thecontrol unit 129 comprises logic control circuits, storage means and amicroprocessor. The control unit 129 generates control signals tocontrol various system operations such as drive motor control signals online 123 and head position and seek control signals on line 128. Thecontrol signals on line 128 provide the desired current profiles tooptimally move and position slider 113 to the desired data track on disk112. Write and read signals are communicated to and from write and readheads 121 by way of recording channel 125.

With reference to FIG. 2, the orientation of the magnetic head 121 in aslider 113 can be seen in more detail. FIG. 2 is an ABS view of theslider 113, and as can be seen the magnetic head including an inductivewrite head and a read sensor, is located at a trailing edge of theslider 209. The ABS plane of the slider may include pads or recessions202 relative to the ABS plane of the slider. The above description of atypical magnetic disk storage system, and the accompanying illustrationof FIG. 1 are for representation purposes only. It should be apparentthat disk storage systems may contain a large number of disks andactuators, and each actuator may support a number of sliders.

With reference now to FIG. 3, the magnetic head 121 for use in aperpendicular magnetic recording system is described. The head 121includes a write element 302 and a read element 304. The read element304 includes a magnetoresistive read sensor 305. The sensor 305, couldbe, for example, a current in plane giant magnetoresistive sensor (CIPGMR), a current perpendicular to plane giant magnetoresistive sensor(CPP GMR) or a tunnel junction sensor (TMR). The sensor 305 is locatedbetween first and second magnetic shields 306, 308 and embedded in adielectric material 307. The magnetic shields 306, 308, which can beconstructed of for example CoFe, NiFe or sendust, absorb magneticfields, such as those from up-track or down-track data signals, ensuringthat the read sensor 305 only detects the desired data track locatedbetween the shields 306, 308. A non-magnetic, gap layer 309 may beprovided between the shield 308 and the write head 302. If the sensor305 is a CIP GMR sensor, then the sensor will be insulated from theshields 306, 308 as shown in FIG. 3. However, if the sensor 305 is a CPPGMR sensor or TMR sensor, then, the top and bottom of the sensor 305 cancontact the shields 306, 308 so that the shields can act as electricallyconductive leads for supplying a sense current to the sensor 305.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, the write element 302 includes awrite pole 310 that is magnetically connected with a magnetic shapinglayer 312, and is embedded within a non-magnetic material 311. The writepole 310 has a small cross section at the air bearing surface and isconstructed of a magnetic material. The write head 302 also includes areturn pole 314 that is constructed of a magnetic material such as CoFe,NiFe, or their alloys and has a cross section parallel to the ABSsurface that is significantly larger than that of write pole 310. Thereturn pole 314 can be magnetically connected with the shaping layer 312and write pole 310 by a back gap portion 316 as shown in FIG. 3. Thereturn pole 314 and back gap 316 can be constructed of, for example,NiFe, CoFe, or their alloys or some other magnetic material.

An electrically conductive write coil 317, shown in cross section inFIG. 3, passes through the write element 302 between the pole layer 402,and the return pole 314. The coil 317 is embedded in an insulation layer330 that can be, for example, alumina and can include one or more layersof one or more materials.

When a current passes through the coil 317, the resulting magnetic fieldcauses a magnetic flux to flow through the pole layer 402, return pole314, back gap 316, shaping layer 312 and write pole 310 and possiblysome magnetic material in the adjacent media 333. This magnetic fluxcauses a write field to be emitted toward an adjacent magnetic medium333. This magnetic field emitted from the write pole 310 magnetizes arelatively higher coercivity, thin top magnetic layer on the magneticmedium 333. This magnetic field travels through a magnetically softunderlayer of the magnetic medium to the return pole 314, where it issufficiently spread out that it does not erase data elsewhere on themedia 333 that is not located directly under the write pole 310.

With reference to FIG. 4, which shows an ABS view of the write element302, it can be seen that the write pole 310 preferably has a trapezoidalshape. This shape helps to reduce skew related adjacent trackinterference. Although not shown, the trailing shield could beconstructed to wrap around the sides of the write pole 310, in whichcase the side portions of the trailing shield would be separated fromthe sides of the write pole 310 by a non-magnetic side gap material.

With reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, it can be seen that the write pole310 has a stepped flare structure. More particularly, the write pole 310includes a magnetic core 402 that is preferably constructed of alamination of magnetic layers such as NiFe or CoFe separated by thinnon-magnetic layers such as alumina. Other materials that can be used insuch a laminated write pole include silica, Ta, Ti, NiP, Pd, si, Cr, Mo,Rh, Ru and Al. The write pole 310 also includes a magnetic shell portion404, constructed of an electroplated magnetic material such as NiFe,CoFe, or their alloys that wraps around the magnetic core 402. Withreference to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the magnetic shell 404 islaterally symmetrical about the core 402. By laterally symmetrical, itis meant that the shell 404 is symmetrical in the track width direction,to the left and right as shown in FIG. 4.

With reference to FIG. 5, which shows a view of the deposited end of theslider, it can be seen that the shell 404 forms a stepped structure 406that is recessed from the ABS. In FIG. 5, the portions of the core 402that are hidden within the shell 404 are shown in dashed line, and ascan be seen, the core 402 has a flare point 408 that is recessed fromthe ABS by a first distance FP1. However, the stepped structure 406formed by the front most edge (ABS facing edge 410) of the shell,defines a secondary flare point that is recessed by a distance FP2 fromthe ABS, FP2 being smaller than FP1.

As write heads become ever smaller, the flare point distance from theABS must become smaller as well. However, available manufacturingprocesses such as photolithography have resolution and variationlimitations that limit the size and placement to which the flare pointdistance can be defined. For example, currently availablephotolithographic processes have variations that are sufficiently greatthat for very small write pole sizes, the location of the flare point ina standard write pole would vary between a write pole having a flarepoint that is too large to a write pole having no flare point at all. Aflare point that is too large would choke off the flux, significantlyreducing the write field. A flare point that is too small (or evennon-existent) results in an extremely wide write signal that writes toseveral adjacent tracks. Both of these situations are of courseunacceptable. The secondary flare point 406 provided by the magneticshell 404 allows the location of the flare point FP2 to be carefullycontrolled using currently available photolithographic tools andtechniques, as will be described below.

The details of the electroplating bath and process are also relevant.The material that is electroplated should preferably be ferromagnetic,but could consist of more than one layer where one layer isferromagnetic and another is non-ferromagnetic. An example of anon-magnetic layer could be NiP alloy or Pd alloy. Plating such an alloyis a balance between bath composition, plating area, current density andother factors. Other factors include anode and cathode material, voltageor current variations, bath composition including additives,surfactants, buffering, and complexing agents, plating cell design, bathtemperature, plating flow rate, wafer mask design, and magnetic field.

In order to electroplate a thin magnetic layer, it is important tocontrol the plating process. Therefore, the plating rate shouldpreferably be less than 100 nm/min. The thin plated layer should beconformal and not introduce increased roughness or morphology to thesurface. Preparation of the surface to plate a thin layer could includepre-wetting the surface or using surfactants in the bath. Additives canalso be added that will slow the plating process in order to achieveimproved thickness control. Another important factor in thin plating isthe dwell time which is the amount of time that the wafer sits in thebath prior to applying a potential to the wafer. This dwell time shouldbe minimized because the bath can actually etch or corrode the verymaterial one would want to plate upon (ie. the anode).

A method for minimizing the dwell time in the plating bath is to have avoltage applied to the cathode or anode prior to placement in theplating bath. Therefore, once a wafer enters the plating bath, thecircuit is complete and electroplating begins instantaneously. This isreferred to hereinafter as a “hot start” process because the wafer canbe “hot” by having a voltage on it outside the plating bath which issimilar to a live, ungrounded wire.

Plating methods can also affect the material properties and its finalthickness. One pulse plating method includes applying a series ofvoltage or current pulses that plate material in a non-continuousmethod. This will have the end result of having a slower average overallplating rate compared to the plating rate during a pulse. Reducing thepulse frequency or voltage can slow the plating process. One can evenbriefly reverse the potential on the wafer and etch (or de-plate)briefly to slow or alter the final plated film.

With reference now to FIGS. 6-14, a method for manufacturing a magneticwrite head 302 such as that described above will be described. Withparticular reference to FIG. 6, a substrate or under-layer 602 isprovided. The substrate 602 can be, for example, the fill layer 330 andshaping layer 312 described with reference to FIG. 3. Other structuresor devices in a head may also be in or below the under-layer 602. Thefill layer 330 can be constructed of alumina. A layer of magnetic polematerial 604 is deposited over the substrate 602. The magnetic polematerial 604 can be constructed of several materials, and is preferablya lamination of magnetic layers such as CoFe, NiFe, or their alloysseparated by thin non-magnetic layers such as alumina, silicon dioxideor some other material. A mask structure 606 is formed over the magneticlayer 604. The mask structure can include various layers such as one ormore hard mask layers, one or more image transfer layer, and a maskmaterial such as photoresist or thermal image resist. With reference toFIG. 7 it can be seen that the mask structure 606 is configured todefine a write pole structure that extends beyond the plane of the AirBearing Surface (ABS).

With reference now to FIG. 8, a material removal process such as ionmilling, or some other process is performed to remove portions of themagnetic material 604 that are not protected by the mask structure 606to form a write pole structure 604. The material removal process,represented by slanted arrows 802 can be performed, for example, bydirecting an ion beam at an angle or combination of angles relative tonormal to form the write pole with a trapezoidal shape as shown in FIG.8. With reference to FIG. 9, the remaining mask material 606 can beremoved by one or more of various material removal processes, which mayinclude reactive ion milling, reactive ion etching, etc. This results ina structure as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 with a write pole structure 604formed over the substrate 602. One should also note that the particularmethod of making the initial pole is not central to the structure ormethods described herein. Alternatively, the pole 604 could be formed byelectroplating and may be formed without non-magnetic lamination layers.

With reference now to FIG. 11, a liftoff process can be used to create aplating seed on a portion of the write pole. For example, a bi-layerphotoresist mask 1102 can be formed to cover a majority of the writepole structure 604, leaving a portion of the write pole uncovered. Then,an electrically conductive, magnetic seed layer 1104 such as NiFe or Taand/or Ir, Rh, etc. can be deposited such as by sputter deposition. Themask 604, can then be lifted off by a chemical liftoff process. Theoverhanging structure of the bi-layer mask facilitates the mask liftoffby allowing a liftoff chemical solution to reach under the edges of themask 1102. The resulting seed layer 1104 covering a portion of the writepole 604 (preferably near the back edge of the write pole 604) can beseen with reference to FIG. 12. The portions of the write pole 604 thatare hidden under the seed layer 1104 are shown in dashed line in thecross-hatched portion of FIG. 12. There would also, preferably, be seed1104 deposited between devices as well.

With reference now to FIG. 13, a mask structure, such as a photoresistmask 1302 is formed over a front portion of the write pole 604. As canbe seen, the mask 1302 has a back edge 1304 that is located a desireddistance behind the ABS plane designated (ABS). As will be seen, thelocation of this back edge 1304 determines the amount by which thesecondary flare structure 406 (described with reference to FIG. 5) isrecessed from the ABS. In other words, the location of the back edge1304 determines the flare point (FP2) of the finished write head.

After, the mask 1302 has been formed, an electroplating process can beused to deposit an electrically conductive magnetic material such asNiFe, CoFe, or their alloys. This results in magnetic material beingplated onto portions of the pole that are not covered by the mask 1302.With reference to FIG. 14, a cross section of a portion of the writepole 604 shows that the magnetic material 1402 is plated evenly over thewrite pole 604. Therefore, the electroplating results in a laterallysymmetrical deposition of magnetic material 1402 onto the portions ofthe write pole 604 that are not covered by the mask 1302 (FIG. 13). Bylaterally symmetrical, it is meant that the deposition of magneticmaterial 1402 is symmetrical in a track width direction (ie. to theright and left and above as shown in FIG. 14).

The above described process results in a write pole structure such asthe write pole 310 described with reference to FIGS. 3-5 above. As willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art, inherent process limitationssuch as photolithographic variation, limit the amount by which the flarepoint distance can be reduced in a very small write head using astandard write pole structure and standard processes. The abovedescribed process makes it possible to construct a write pole havingvery reduced effective flare point (ie. flare point 406 in FIG. 5) usingcurrently available manufacturing processes, and currently availablephotolithographic tools. The present invention, therefore, allows thereduction of write head sizes for current and future write headfabrication.

Sacraficial Fill Layer:

The above described method for manufacturing a write head included amethod of forming a write pole having a secondary flare point (FP2)formed by electroplating a stepped structure over a write pole. Withreference now to FIGS. 15 and 16 a write head is described that has astepped secondary notch structure similar to that described above, butwhich also has a wrap around trailing shield. With particular referenceto FIG. 1S a magnetic read/write head 1502 according to an embodiment ofthe invention has a write head 1504 that has a trailing shield 1506constructed to wrap around the sides of the write pole 310 andconstructed of a magnetic material such as CoFe, NiFe, or their alloys.The trailing shield 1506 is separated from the write pole 310 by anon-magnetic gap material 1508 such as alumina (Al₂O₃) and/or Ta/Rh,Ta/Ir, or Au. The trailing shield has a throat height (TH) that ismeasured from the ABS to its back edge adjacent to the end of themagnetic shell portion 1510.

The write head 1504 includes a write pole 310 similar to that describedabove, which includes a magnetic shell stepped structure 404 that wrapsaround the top and sides of the main pole portion 402 as seen in FIG. 6Bat a location recessed from the ABS. A non-magnetic spacer layer 1510wraps around the top and sides of the stepped magnetic structure 404 ascan also be seen in FIG. 16B. The non-magnetic spacer can be constructedof an electroplatable, non-magnetic material, such as NiP, and as can beseen in FIG. 16B, both the magnetic step structure 404 and thenon-magnetic spacer 1510 are laterally symmetrical at either side of themain write pole portion 402.

With reference now to FIG. 16A, it can be seen that the trailing shieldwraps around the sides of the write pole 310, the sides of the writepole 310 being separated from the trailing shield 1506 by non-magneticside gap layers 1512, which may be the same material as the trailing gap1508 (such as alumina and/or Ta/Rh, Ta/Ir, or Au.) or could be someother material. The trailing edge 1514 of the write pole 310 isseparated from the trailing shield 1506 by a trailing gap distance (TG),and the sides of the write pole 310 are separated from the wrap aroundportions of the trailing shield by a side gap (SG). SG and TG can bedifferent from one another, with the side gap SG being preferably (butnot necessarily) larger than the trailing gap TG.

With reference again to FIG. 15, it can be seen, that the trailingshield 1506 can be magnetically connected to the return pole 314 or anadditional pole that has the same magnetic state as the return pole 314.Alternatively, the trailing shield 1506 can be a floating shield that isnot magnetically connected to the other magnetic structures of the writehead 1504.

With reference now to FIGS. 17-30 a possible method is described forconstructing a write head such as the write head 1504 described above.With particular reference to FIG. 17, a substrate 1702 is provided. Thesubstrate 1702 can include an underlying non-magnetic, electricallyinsulating material such as 330 such as alumina and may include all or aportion of the shaping layer 312, both of which are described above withreference to FIG. 15. Optionally a non-magnetic under-layer material1703 such as TaOx can be deposited over the substrate 1702. Theunder-layer 1703 can be helpful in reducing undercut of the write poleduring fabrication as will be described in greater detail herein below.A magnetic write pole material 1704 is deposited over the substrate1702, and over the under-layer 1703 if present. The write pole layer1704 can be constructed of several magnetic materials, such as NiFe,CoFe, or their alloys but is preferably a laminated structure thatincludes layers of a magnetic material such as CoFe separated by thinnon-magnetic layers such as alumina.

One or more masking layers 1706 are deposited over the write polematerial layer 1704. Although the mask 1706 can include variousconfigurations and material combinations, the mask 1706 preferablyincludes a hard mask structure 1707 formed over the write pole material1704 and resist such as photoresist or thermal image resist 1714. Thehard mask structure 1707 can be a tri-layer first hard mask structure,having a first layer 1705 a second layer 1708 and a third layer 1709.The first layer is preferably a material that is resistant to removal bychemical mechanical polishing (CMP) such as DLC (diamond-like carbon),Ta Rh, Ir, Ru, Cr or their combination. The second layer 1708 ispreferably a material that is resistant to ion milling, such as alumina(Al₂O₃) and can have a thickness of about 20 nm. The third layer 1709 ofthe first hard mask structure 1707 is also preferably resistant to ionmilling and is preferably constructed of AlTio or Al containing alloy,and can have a thickness of about 50 nm.

A method used to create the pole can be one in which the mask 1707becomes part of the non-magnetic trailing gap (TG) 1709 and is used asan endpoint detection layer during ion milling to define, in part, thenon-magnetic side gap (SG) and removes the transfer mask 1710. In thiscase, the mill resistant material chosen for 1708 should have a bulkmaterial of 1709 with a small percentage of doped material for endpointdetection. For example, a layer 1708 would be comprised of Al₂O₃ and thegap 1709 preferably has Al₂O₃ doped with Ti where the material to detectfor end point would be Ti. However, the layer 1709 could be doped (lessthan 10% by weight) with another material that can be clearly detectedusing an end point detection signal.

The mask structure 1709 can also include an image transfer layer 1710formed over the first hard mask structure 1707. The image transfer layercan be a soluble polyimide material such as DURAMIDE®. A second hardmask 1712 can be provided over the image transfer layer 1710 and can beconstructed of SiO₂ having a thickness of about 125 nm. Anantireflective coating layer 1713 can be provided over the second hardmask 1712. The antireflective coating layer 1713 can be constructed ofthe same material as the image transfer layer 1710 (eg. a solublepolyimide solution such as DURAMIDE®), and can have a thickness about120 nm. The resist mask layer 1714 can have a thickness of about 250 nmand can be deposited over the antireflective coating layer 1713.

With reference now to FIG. 18, the resist layer 1714 isphotolithographically patterned and developed to have a shape that isconfigured to define a write pole. Then, with reference to FIG. 19, oneor more material removal processes 1902 are performed to transfer theimage of the photoresist layer onto the underlying mask layers. Thematerial removal processes preferably include a combination of reactiveion etching (RIE) and reactive ion milling (RIM), which remove theremove portions of the mask layers 1708, 1709, 1710, 1712 and 1713,while leaving the first sub-layer 1705 of the first hard mask 1707substantially intact to protect the magnetic write pole layer 1704 frombeing damaged by the material removal processes 1902.

Then, with reference to FIG. 20, an ion milling process 2002 isperformed by directing an ion beam at an angle relative to normal toremove portions of the magnetic write pole material 1704 that are notprotected by the mask structure 1706. It can be seen that while some ofthe mask structure 1706 is consumed by the ion milling 1706, aconsiderable portion remains. The angled ion milling 2002 results in thewrite pole 1704 having a desired trapezoidal shape, such as is shown inFIG. 20 and which has been previously discussed above.

With reference now to FIG. 21, a non-magnetic side gap material 2202 isdeposited. The side gap material can be alumina (Al₂O₃) and ispreferably deposited by a conformal process such as atomic layerdeposition (ALD) or some other conformal process.

The side gap material 2202 could also be a non-magnetic metal. If ametal is used as the side gap material 2202, then it must be a materialthat can remain in the ABS without presenting corrosion problems. Then,with reference to FIG. 22, a fill material 2204 is deposited. This fillmaterial 2204 is preferably a material that can be readily removedwithout damaging the write pole material. For example, in one preferredembodiment, the fill material 2204 can be a material such as SiO₂, whichcan later be removed by a process that will be described below. Inanother preferred embodiment, the fill material 2204 can be a materialsuch as Cu or some other non-magnetic material.

With reference now to FIG. 23 a chemical mechanical polishing process(CMP) is performed to planarize the structure and remove most of masklayer 1706 from over the pole 1704. The bottom layer 1705 can be used asa CMP stop layer so that CMP can be stopped when the layer 1705 isreached. The remaining mask material (CMP stop layer) 1705 (FIG. 22) canbe left intact and becomes part of TG or can be removed by a materialremoval process suited to the material making up the layer 1705. Forexample, if the layer 1705 is diamond like carbon (DLC) it can beremoved by using an oxygen containing reactive ion etch (RIE) plasma.Then, with reference to FIG. 24, the fill material 2204 can be removed.If the fill layer 2204 is a material such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂),then the fill layer 2204 can be removed by a fluorine containingreactive ion etching (RIE) plasma or reactive ion milling (RIM) beam.Alternatively, the fill and CMP process can be omitted and a reactiveion milling process (RIM) can be used to remove the mask structure 1710.In that case, the bottom mask layer 1705 (such as Ti or Rh) or 1709 canbe used as an etch stop indicator using secondary ion mass spectroscopy(SIMS) to detect when the layer 1705 has been reached. The selection ofa layer 1705 or layer 1709 which comprises an end point material enablesthe ability to control TG thickness. One can also insert more than oneend point layer, such as one in layer 1705 and layer 1709. This givesthe manufacturing of heads the flexibility of altering the trailing gap(TG) for different products having different gap targets. This can alsoaffect the associated side gap (SG). Furthermore, the end pointmaterials in the two layers could be comprised of different materials(eg. Ti for one layer and Ta for another end point layer).

The above described processes result in a write pole having non-magneticside walls 2204 and a non-magnetic trailing gap layer 1705 formed overthe write pole 1704.

If the fill material 2204 is Cu, then a different process can beperformed to remove it after the CMP. One method that can be employed toremove the Cu fill layer 2204 is emersion in a basic complexing etchbath that will not readily etch the CoFe pole material 1704. The Cu filllayer 2204 could also be removed by electroetching.

With reference now to FIGS. 5, 25 and 26, a photoresist mask 2502 isformed. As can be seen in FIG. 26, the mask 2502 has a back edge 2602that is located behind the ABS plane between the ABS plane and the flarepoint 408 of the write head 1704. As shown in FIG. 26, the portions ofthe pole 1704 and side walls 2202 that are hidden beneath thephotoresist mask 2602 are shown in dotted line.

Then, with reference to FIG. 27, a material removal process is performedto remove portions of the sidewall material 2202. If the side wallmaterial 2202 is alumina, it can be removed by an etching process thatis designed to remove the alumina side wall material 2202 withoutdamaging or removing the pole material (eg. CoFe). Possible etchingsolutions include a metal ion free developer solution such astetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), KOH, or a chrome etch such asCR-7® produced by Cyantek® of Fremont, Calif. The choice of what etchantto use will depend upon the side-gap material 2202. Whatever method ofetching is used, it must cleanly remove all of the side wall material,to insure effective plating of a magnetic material onto the pole 1704 aswill be described in greater detail herein below. If the side gap 2202material is a Zn alloy, it can be removed from the area behind the mask2502 by electroetching. If the side gap 2202 is constructed of siliconoxide (SiOx) it can be removed etching with an HF acid that is buffered(BOE). This results in a structure as shown in FIG. 27.

With reference now to FIG. 28, which shows a cross section of the writepole in a region beyond the back edge 2602 of the mask 2502 (shown inFIG. 27), a magnetic material 2802 can be electroplated onto the portionof the pole 1704. This magnetic material 2802 can be, for example CoFe,NiFe, or their alloys and is preferably CoFe. This magnetic materialforms a stepped structure on the write pole similar to the step 406described in FIG. 4, and is similar to FIG. 16B where the platedmaterials 2802 and 2804 may be the same as 404 and 1510 as seen in FIG.16B. In order for this stepped pole structure to function optimally,there must be no non-magnetic remnant material left between the pole1704 and the magnetic material 2802. This is one reason that the abovedescribed process used to remove the side wall material 2202 must veryeffectively remove all of this material. optionally, a non-magnetic gaplayer 2804 can then be deposited over the plated magnetic layer 2802.This non-magnetic layer can be a non-magnetic metal, such as Cu or NiPand can be electroplated directly onto the magnetic layer 2804.

The resist mask 2502 can then be lifted off, leaving the structure asshown in a side cross sectional view in FIG. 29. Then, with reference toFIG. 30, a non-magnetic trailing gap layer 3002 can be deposited. Thislayer 3002 can be a non-magnetic material such as Ta and/or Rh, Au, andIr, which can be deposited by a conformal deposition method such as ionbeam deposition (IBD). The non-magnetic trailing gap layer 3002 isdeposited to such a thickness to provide a desired trailing gapthickness TG and side gap 15, thickness SG as described in FIG. 16A.Then a magnetic material 3004 can be deposited by electroplating toprovide a magnetic trailing shield, such as the trailing shield 1506described above with reference to FIG. 15. A lapping process (not shown)can be used to remove material (from the left side as shown in FIG. 30)until the ABS plane has been reached, thereby forming a write head withan air bearing surface (ABS) and having a trailing shield 1506 with adesired throat height as measured as measured from the ABS. The abovedescribed processes can produce a magnetic write head 1504 such as thatdescribed with reference to FIGS. 15, 16A and 16B, having a desiredstepped pole structure 310 with a trailing shield 1506.

Write Head with Stair Stepped Trailing Shield:

With reference now to FIG. 31 a magnetic write head 3102 having a stairstepped trailing shield 3104 is described. The write head includes amagnetic write pole 3106, that has a core portion 3108 similar to thecore 402 described above with reference to FIGS. 15, 16A and 16B. Thepole 3106 also has a magnetic shell portion 3110 that is similar to themagnetic shell 404 described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16B. Thetrailing shield 3104 can also act as a return pole 314 as seen in FIG.31A.

In addition, the write head 3102 includes a non-magnetic spacer layer3112. The non-magnetic spacer layer 3112 is similar to the spacer 1510described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16B in that it wraps around thetop and sides of the stepped magnetic shell structure 3110 as shown inFIG. 32. However, as can be seen in FIG. 31, the non-magnetic spacerstructure is stepped back from the ABS. In other words the magneticshell has a front edge 3114 that is recessed from the ABS by a firstdistance, and the non-magnetic spacer 3112 has a front edge that isspaced from the ABS by a second distance that is greater than the firstdistance. The trailing shield 3104 is separated from the pole 3106 by aspacer 3112 comprising, for example, NiP and a non-magnetic trailing gapmaterial 3120 that could be constructed of, for example, alumina and Taand/or Rh, Au, and Ir,

This extra recession of the non-magnetic spacer 3112 allows the magneticshield 3104 to form a stair stepped back edge 3118 that tapers away fromthe ABS. This results in a magnetic shield 3104 that has a back edge3122 that is coincident with or recessed beyond the secondary flarepoint defined by front edge 3114 of the magnetic shell structure 3110.Although shown as a single stair stepped notch, the number of stairsteps could be increased to more closely resemble a smooth taper, ifdesired.

With reference now to FIGS. 33-42 a method is described for constructinga magnetic write head such as the write head 3102 discussed above. Withparticular reference to FIG. 33A a magnetic write pole core portion 3302is formed on a substrate 3101, with non-magnetic side walls 3304(preferably alumina) surrounding the magnetic core 3302. A photoresistmask 3306 is formed over a front portion of the write pole core 3302,the mask having a back edge 3308 that is between the ABS and the flarepoint 3310 of the core portion. A material removal process can then beperformed to remove the portions of the side wall material 3304 that arenot covered by the mask 3306 (ie. beyond the back edge 3308 of the mask3306). This can be performed by methods such as those discussed abovewith reference to FIGS. 17-24.

Then, with reference to FIG. 34 a magnetic material 3402 such as CoFe isdeposited onto the magnetic write pole core 3302, preferably byelectroplating. A non-magnetic metal 3304 such as NiP, ZnNi, Cu, Cr orAu is then deposited onto the magnetic layer 3302, preferably byelectroplating. Then, the resist mask is lifted off, leaving a structureas shown in a side cross sectional view in FIG. 35A. Similarly, in FIG.36, a magnetic and non-magnetic layer containing a stack which iselectroplated may have a step between one layer and another where thefirst edge of one plated layer 3604 is protruding relative to the edgeof a second plated layer 3602.

An example of the process flow is shown in FIG. 33B, where an existingpole 3315 will have a flare point defined by a masking step 3320. Thisis followed an etch of material on the pole 3302 in a step 3602.However, this is only needed if there is non-magnetic material coveringthe pole. Then, a magnetic layer is electroplated directly off of thepole 3302 in a step 3340. Optionally, in a step 3350 one may deform themask layer after the magnetic layer is plated. In addition step 3360, anoptional non-magnetic portion may be plated on the magnetic plated poleportion. The mask would be removed in a step 3370 and processing wouldcontinue 3380.

Referring to FIGS. 33A, 33B, 35A and 36, the material removal process3602 is performed, prior to plating, to remove a portion of thenon-magnetic layer 3304. The material removal process 3602 is a processthat is carefully chosen to remove the non-magnetic metal 3304, withoutaffecting the magnetic layers 3404 or 3302. This process 3602 can be awet etch. For example, if the non-magnetic layer 3404 is constructed ofZnNi, it can be removed by electroetching. If the non-magnetic layer3404 comprises Cu, it can be removed by etching with a basic solutioncontaining ammonium persulfate and ammonium hydroxide. If thenon-magnetic layer 3404 is Cr it can be etched with a Cr etchant such asCR-7® produced by Cyantek Corp.®. If the non-magnetic layer 3404 is Au,it can be etched with potassium iodine. As can be seen in FIG. 35B, theremoval of a portion of the non-magnetic layer 3304, allows for theplating of magnetic layer 3402 and non-magnetic layer 3404, defining afront edge 3509. This front edge of 3509 of, at least, the firstelectroplated layer will define the new flare point 3535.

Then, with reference to FIG. 37, a non-magnetic trailing gap layer 3702such as Ta and/or Rh, Au, and Ir, can be deposited, and a magneticmaterial 3704 such as NiFe, CoFe, or their alloys can be deposited byelectroplating to form a trailing shield having a stair stepped backedge. In this manner, a trailing shield can be constructed that has aback edge 3706 that is either coincident with or behind the flare pointdefined by the front edge 3604 of the magnetic shell layer 3402.

With reference now to FIG. 38 a possible method is described forconstructing a stair stepped shield structure. After constructing awrite pole core portion 3302 over an under-layer 1703 and substrate3101, a photoresist mask 3802 is formed. Then, a layer of magneticmaterial 3804 is deposited to form the magnetic shell over the magneticcore 3302. Then, with reference to FIG. 39, a soluble material 3902 suchas a SAFIER® coating is deposited (ie. spun on) to the structure. Thestructure thus far formed can then be heated. This heating causes thesoluble coating 3902 to contract, pulling the photoresist mask 3802 withit, resulting in a structure as shown in FIG. 40, with the mask 3802overlapping the magnetic shell 3804. Then, with reference to 41A, theshrinkable coating 3902 can be removed and a non-magnetic metal 4102 canbe plated onto the magnetic shell 3804. Then, with reference to FIG. 42,a non magnetic gap layer 4202 such as Ta and/or Rh, Au, and Ir, whichcan be deposited and a magnetic material such as NiFe, CoFe, or theiralloys can be deposited by electroplating over the gap layer 4202. Ascan be seen, this results in a magnetic shield 4204 having a stairstepped back edge 4206. Alternatively, a multi-stair structure can becreated as shown in FIG. 41B, where upon some substrate with seed 4101 amulti-step structure is electroplated that comprises more than onematerial. Similarly, an electroplated feature can be formed as shown inFIG. 41C. This may comprise one or more materials with one or more stepswhere each step recession of less than 50 nm makes the structureprogressively narrower, as seen in FIG. 41D. Depending on the headdesign, the distance from the flare point to the ABS 3737 may be lessthan, equal to, or greater than the distance from the back edge of thetrailing shield and the ABS 3747.

Self Aligned Electrical Lapping Guide (ELG):

As seen in FIG. 37, the formation of a magnetic write head, such as theembodiments disclosed above require careful control of flare point(distance between flare point and ABS 3737) and trailing shield throatheight (thickness of the trailing shield as measured from the ABS 3747).Both the write pole flare point and the trailing shield throat heightare measured from the location of the ABS, which in turn is defined by alapping operation. This lapping operation occurs after the wafer hasbeen cut into rows of sliders. A side of the row of sliders, or anindividual slider, is lapped to remove material until a desired ABSplane location has been reached. At this point the row of sliders can becut into individual sliders. This lapping operation is, however,difficult to control.

An electrical lapping guide (ELG) can be used to determine at what pointlapping should be terminated. A lapping guide is an electricallyconductive material, with an edge that is at a predefined from, orexactly at, the intended ABS plane. As lapping progresses, theelectrical resistance of the lapping guide is measured by applying avoltage across the lapping guide. When this resistance reaches apredetermined level, the operator can determine that the ABS plane hasbeen reached and lapping should terminate.

As can be appreciated, then, defining the location of the edge of thelapping guide must be carefully controlled relative to the intended ABSand relative to the flare point and shield throat height. However,manufacturing tolerances, such as aligning multiple maskphotolithographic steps make this edge location control very difficult.The method described herein below provides an accurate self alignmentprocess for accurately and reliably locating the critical edge of thelapping guide, relative to the ABS, flare point and shield throatheight.

With reference now to FIGS. 43 and 35B, a write pole structure 3302 isshown at a manufacturing stage similar to that described with referenceto FIG. 26. This structure includes a write pole core portion 3302 and anon-magnetic side wall 3404 surrounding the write pole core 3302. Anelectrically conductive ELG 4304 is formed in a kerf area beside thewrite pole 3302. The ELG material can be formed by a liftoff processsuch as by forming a bi-layer photoresist mask (not shown), depositingan electrically conductive material, and then lifting off the mask. Asubstractive method could also be used. A mask structure 4302 is formedsimilar to the mask 2502 described in FIG. 26, except that this maskstructure 4302 has a back edge 4302 that is aligned relative to theintended ABS plane. In fact, the edge 4306 could be located at the ABSplane as shown, or could be at some other predetermined locationrelative to the ABS plane. The mask 4302 and edge 4306 extend over, atleast a part of, the ELG material 4304 as shown in FIG. 43

With reference now to FIG. 44, a material removal process such as thatdescribed above with reference to FIG. 27 can be performed to removeportions of the non-magnetic side wall 3404 that are not covered by themask 4302. This removes the portions of the side wall 3304 that extendbeyond the back edge 2602 of the mask 4302. The same or a differentmaterial removal process (such as reactive ion etch) can be used toremove the portion of the ELG 4304 that extends beyond the back edge4306 of the mask 4302. As will be recalled from the discussions above,the location of the edge 2602 of the mask 4302 defines the location ofthe secondary flare point (for example FP2 in FIG. 5) as well as thetrailing shield throat height (for example TH in FIGS. 15 and 30).Therefore, by continuing processing as described above with regard tothe previously described methods and embodiments, the back edge 4404 ofthe ELG lapping guide is self aligned with the write head flare pointand shield throat height and ABS. One can also say that the edge 4404 isself aligned so that the photo edge 2602 of the mask layer 4302 is usedto define the ELG as well as the flare point (FP2) and its associatedshield throat height TH, there is no need to align multiple masks inmultiple photolithographic steps. During lapping, a voltage can beapplied across the ELG 4304 to measure the resistance across the ELG. Aslapping progresses in a direction as indicated by arrow 3408, the ELGwill be consumed. As a greater and greater portion of the ELG isconsumed, the resistance across the ELG will increase, and when apredetermined resistance is reached, lapping can stop. With the backedge located directly at the ABS as shown in FIG. 44, the lapping canthe resistance across the lapping guide 4304 increases to infinity (ie.when the lapping guide 4304 is completely removed) by lapping materialaway.

With reference to FIG. 43A, an alternate device that can be patterned isa sensor 4304. This may exist in a side-by-side head where a write headis co-planar with a sensor structure. Similar to the patterning of thewrite head ELG material 4304, the back edge of a sensor 4343 can bedefined with the edge 4306 of the mask 4302. The sensor 4343 would bedeposited and possibly partially patterned prior to deposition of thedefining mask 4302. As symbolized in FIG. 44A, the sensor 4343 would beelectrically connected to outside the device. This would result in ahead that has the back edge 4444 of the sensor self-aligned to the flarepoint FP and its associated throat height (TH).

Collectively, one could also define the flare point FP and itsassociated throat height TH with the back edge 2602 of the mask 4302along with a coplanar sensor 4343 and a write head ELG material 4304using variations in the shape of mask 4302.

With reference now to FIG. 45, another method for constructing a lappingincludes depositing an electrically conductive lapping guide material4304 such as Au. Then, a mask structure can be formed that includes afirst portion 4404 a having a back edge 2602 located to define a flarepoint FP2 and its associated shield throat height TH as described above.The mask also includes a portion 4404 b that has a front edge 4406located to define a back edge of a lapping guide, which may or may notbe co-linear with the ABS plane. Then, with reference to FIG. 46, anetchable material 4602 such as CoFe can be plated onto the lapping guidematerial 4304 adjacent to the mask 4404 b. Although the etchablematerial 4602 is shown only over the lapping guide region in FIG. 46,this is for purposes of illustration only. The etchable material 4602could actually be deposited full film, as it will be later removed byetching. Then, the mask portion 4404 b can be removed leaving anon-plated portion 4510 on the lapping material 4304. Then, etching thenon-plated portion 4510 creates the back edge of the write head ELG. Theplated material 3404 that was electroplated on the ELG material 4304, aswell as the ELG material 3404 itself, collectively form an ELG that hasa back edge 4702, as seen in FIG. 47. Since the mask structures 4404 aand 4404 b are defined in the same photolithographic step, the edge 4702can be accurately aligned with the ABS plane, flare point FP2 and shieldthroat height TH, which is defined by the placement of the edge 2602.Similarly, the ELG 4304 would be electrically connected to enablemonitoring the ABS plane by inferring resistance changes in the ELG4304. This would create a resistance measurement that would relate theABS plane to the back edge 4702 of the ELG 4304.

Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 48, a similar additive process could have aplated material 3404 on a sensor 4848 where the back edge 4802 of thesensor was created with part of the same mask 4302 that defined theflare point FP and its associated throat height TH.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Other embodiments falling within the scope of the inventionmay also become apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the breadthand scope of the invention should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

1. A method for aligning a structure with a lapping guide, comprising:providing a substrate; depositing an electrically conductive materialover a first portion of the substrate; forming a mask structure havingan edge located in the first portion of the substrate and over theelectrically conductive material and an edge located in a second portionof the substrate where a structure is to be formed; performing amaterial removal process to remove portions of the electricallyconductive material not covered by the mask; and electroplating amaterial over the second portion of the substrate.
 2. The method as inclaim 1 wherein the electroplated material has an edge located at theedge of the mask that is located in the second portion of the substrate.3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the material removal processcomprises reactive ion etching.
 4. The method as in claim 1 wherein theelectroplated material is a magnetic material.
 5. The method as in claim1 wherein the electroplated material comprises NiFe.
 6. The method as inclaim 1 wherein the electroplated material comprises CoFe.
 7. The methodas in claim 1 further comprising, before forming the mask structure,constructing a first magnetic structure, and wherein the electroplatedmaterial is a magnetic material and forms a second magnetic structureformed over a portion of the first magnetic structure.
 8. The method asin claim 7 wherein the first magnetic structure extends beyond an airbearing surface plane, and the second magnetic structure terminatesshort of the air bearing surface plane.
 9. A method for manufacturing amagnetic write head, comprising: providing a substrate; forming amagnetic write pole over the substrate; depositing an electricallyconductive material in a region removed from the write pole; forming amask structure having an edge located over the electrically conductivematerial and also having an edge located over the write pole; performinga material removal process to remove a portion of the electricallyconductive material that is not protected by the mask structure; andelectroplating a magnetic material over a portion of the write pole thatis not covered by the mask structure.
 10. The method as in claim 9wherein the mask structure leaves a portion of the electricallyconductive material and a portion of the write pole exposed.
 11. Themethod as in claim 9 further comprising, after electroplating themagnetic material, electroplating a non-magnetic material.
 12. Themethod as in claim 9 wherein the material removal process comprisesreactive ion etching.
 13. The method as in claim 9 wherein theelectroplated magnetic material has an edge that is aligned with theedge of the mask structure.
 14. The method as in claim 11 wherein theelectroplated magnetic material and the electroplated magnetic materialeach have an edge that is aligned with the edge of the mask structure.15. The method as in claim 9 wherein the magnetic material comprisesNiFe or Co—Fe.
 16. The magnetic method as in claim 11 wherein theelectroplated non-magnetic material comprises NiP.
 17. A method as inclaim 11, further comprising, before forming the mask structure, formingnon-magnetic sidewalls at first and second sides of the write pole,wherein the material removal process removes portions of thenon-magnetic side wall that are not protected by the mask structure. 18.A method as in claim 11 wherein the material removal process is a firstmaterial removal process, the method further comprising, after formingthe mask structure and before electroplating the magnetic material,performing a second material removal process to remove portions of theside walls that are not protected by the mask structure.
 19. A methodfor manufacturing a magnetic head, comprising: providing a substrate;forming a magnetic write pole over the substrate; forming amagnetoresistive sensor in a region removed from the substrate; forminga mask structure over only a portion of the write pole and only aportion of the magnetoresistive sensor; performing a material removalprocess to remove a portion of the magnetoresistive sensor material thatis not protected by the mask structure; and electroplating a magneticmaterial over the write pole.
 20. The method as in claim 1 wherein thematerial removal process comprises reactive ion etching.
 21. The methodas in claim 1 further comprising, after electroplating the magneticmaterial, electroplating a non-magnetic material.